Russia investigation reportedly closes in on current White House official

May 19, 2017

The ongoing FBI probe into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign has identified a current White House official as "a significant person of interest," The Washington Post reported Friday. The unnamed individual was described by people familiar with the matter as "someone close to the president." So far, President Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, have been the public centers of the investigation; neither is currently with the administration. White House spokesman Sean Spicer told the Post that "a thorough investigation will confirm that there was no collusion between the campaign and any foreign entity." Also Friday, McClatchyreported members of Congress were told investigators are exploring whether any White House officials "engaged in a cover-up."

Senate Republicans decided Tuesday that they will not vote on their health-care bill after efforts to garner support for the legislation fell short. The bill, named for co-sponsors Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), appeared doomed on Monday when moderate Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in opposition. With three Republicans as solid no votes, the GOP can't muster the 50 votes it would need to pass the proposal with the help of Vice President Mike Pence as a tie-breaking vote.

Republican voters in Alabama will decide Tuesday whether to nominate Sen. Luther Strange, the incumbent appointed by the state's governor and supported by President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), or Roy Moore, the former judge who has consistently led in the polls and is backed by Trump's most prominent supporters. Trump held a rally for Strange last Friday, and Vice President Mike Pence was in Birmingham to boost him on Monday night, while Trump's former chief strategist Stephen Bannon headlined a rally Monday night for Moore. The winner of Tuesday's primary faces Democrat Doug Jones in deep-red Alabama's December special election.

President Trump emphasized the difficulty of handling the crisis in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico on Tuesday, telling the press that "this isn't like Florida, where we can go right up the spine, or like Texas, where we go right down the middle and we distribute. This is a thing called the Atlantic Ocean. This is tough stuff." Resident commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (R) estimated that the cost of damage from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico could be as much as $20 billion, in part because of the difficulty in getting supplies and aid to the island, and because of expensive updates required for the U.S. territory's power grid. Trump tweeted Monday night that Puerto Rico is "in deep trouble" but that the ongoing efforts are "doing well."

Saudi Arabia will allow women to drive beginning in June of next year, the kingdom announced Tuesday. The extremely conservative country, which is ruled according to Shariah law, has justified its ban on religious grounds for years. To get around, Saudi women have relied on private cabs or Uber. The kingdom's decision comes as Saudi Arabia is trying to change its reputation abroad, but making the switch will not be easy: In addition to formalizing driving classes and licenses for women, Saudi Arabia's "police will need to be trained to interact with women in a way that they rarely do in a society where men and women who are not related rarely interact," The New York Times writes.

Equifax has ousted CEO Richard Smith following the credit reporting agency's announcement earlier this month of a massive security breach. Equifax's response to the breach, which affects an estimated 44 percent of the U.S. population, has been heavily criticized. Additionally, the Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether or not three Equifax executives who sold $1.8 million in stock just days after the breach broke insider trading laws. Smith served as CEO since 2005; Paulino do Rego Barros Jr. will serve as interim CEO.